6.08.2011

Bikers & Breaded Fish & Beer, Oh My!

As the bus pulled into Camp Hess Kramer in Malibu each summer, my eyes caught hold of a shack of a restaurant at the camp's entrance. Each night at sleep away camp I would fantasize about escaping and indulging in whatever deliciousness awaited me at this shack. It was mysterious and I longed for it. Alas, I was a "follow the rules" kind of kid so I never snuck out, but I did remember this forbidden shack and cruised up PCH years later (and often) to fulfill my childhood fantasy!

Neptune's Net is quite the scene. It's a melting pot of hard-core bikers, locals from "The Nard" (a.k.a. Oxnard), Angelenos and tourists. Four distinct groups commingle and bond over steamed crab legs, beer and some dirty porta potties. Ahhhh... heaven.

Whenever my parents go out of town I get the perk of borrowing my Mom's convertible! My best friend and I have made a tradition of hitting PCH with the converti and cruising up to Neptune's Net each time I get the car. It's always an adventure!

Neptune's has two sides - seafood and restaurant. The seafood side features steamed seafood and the restaurant side features fish tacos, burgers, seafood platters and any type of fried fish you can think of.

You order on either side (or both) and then watch the busy tables like a hawk until someone gets up. I always meet interesting people here who are visiting for their first time or have been coming here for years. A fun social experiment, much like The Waterfront in Venice Beach, which I also love!

The seafood ceviche is to-die-for. Full of large pieces of squid, scallop, shrimp and clam in a tomato-based sauce.

The king crab legs, while not cheap, are delicious. Nothing like devouring fresh seafood while you're looking out on the beach.